the cardnapper
by jickinayne
Summary: After a spell of random kidnappings the press call 'the card-nappings' the C.B.I are called in to try and find the culprit. The only link they have is a playing card left at each of the scenes and for once Jane is left stumped.
1. Chapter 1

The Cardnapper.

Sorry about the terrible title but they have never been my strong point. This is my first publicly available story so try to cut me a bit of slack please. Saying that, criticism is always welcome, provided it's constructive. Thank you and I hope you enjoy my ramblings) rated k to start but this may well change later.

The bull pen was alive with the usual hubbub of an on-going case. More often than not the team managed to wrap up a case within a matter of days, a week at tops, but this one had then all stumped, even Infamous consultant Patrick Jane.

Though it wasn't usually the type of case that the team were called in for, it was so high profile that the D.A demanded them be assigned to close it before it escalated any further.

So far there had been no murder, no larceny that they could determine and no demands made for the four missing victims. All that they knew was that the kidnapper had an undiscovered plan for the young girls, all aged between nine and eleven, with dark hair and over active imaginations. Though why this was relevant the team couldn't comprehend but Jane knew this was the reason for their disappearance.

The press had began to call the culprit 'card -napper' as the only decisive link that each of the victims had in common was a new playing card left at the child's last know location.

The victims had all been taken in the space of three weeks, all from different locations in California and all the girls came from different social backgrounds.

So far C.B.I profile looked depressingly bear. There didn't seem to be any pattern to the disappearances and the team prayed for a break.

"I want to talk to the parents again." Jane said from his couch as Lisbon and the rest of the team chased unlikely and frankly farfetched leads.

"Jane what more could you possibly hope to gain? We've been through their statements at least three times. There is nothing there." Lisbon responded as she stood at the board looking hopelessly at the photos of the missing girls on the board.

The truth is he didn't know but it had to be more productive than sitting here going over sex offender lists with the rest of the team.

He thought for a moment then decided Lisbon was probably right. After all he asked every conceivable question he could think of and still had nothing. There must be something he was missing. So he excused himself and went up to the loft so he could access his memory palace in peace.

He went over it inch by inch for hours and still he couldn't find that key piece of information he was missing.


	2. Chapter 2

Rigsby hated dealing with the local cops. They always acted like C.B.I was the bane of policing. The pair had only been there for little over half an hour and already he wanted to punch the bigoted chief on the nose.

"so you think this is the card-napper? I thought he only went for girls." The chubby chief said from behind his desk.

"We're looking in to all possibilities. Did you say you found a playing card at the scene?" the stocky agent asked in return.

The chief said nothing but handed over the evidence in question to Rigsby. The baggie contained a single card. The king of hearts.

"Do you know anything about the vic?" Cho said in his usual monotone.

Chief Myers folded his arms and looked and the agent, "Just the usual. Petty theft, possession. Nothing out of the ordinary for a 15 year old."

"So you brought him in regularly?"

"No, we never charged him, just a slap on the wrist. His Dads knows people you see. It's hard to make things stick when you've got a farther like that." the young deputy put in as he came from the kitchen.

The men discussed what they had already found on the case and speculated of who could be behind it all. But the truth is no one had the slightest idea.

"Agent Lisbon, Mr Jane. This is my wife Tabitha." Mr Chapman said as he lead a slight red headed woman to the room.

Tabitha shook both of their hands while her husband stood with his left hand on her waist and the other in his pants pocket. Her face showed signs of distress, her mascara had been running and her once flawless make up had been smudged to near extinction. She shuddered as she released her hold on Jane's hand. It was obvious that she was trying desperately to hold back a further flood of tears.

"I'm sorry for what happened Mrs Chapman, is there anything you can think of that might help us with our investigation?" Lisbon asked in her most sympathetic tone. Tabitha shook her head and Lisbon continued with her inquiries. "Anybody that would want to hurt Daniel or yourselves?" Again all Tabitha could muster was a brief shake of her head.

Jane interjected with his own questions. "Mrs Chapman, what did your son have for breakfast this morning?" this question was evidently not something that she had expected to here.

"Urm, cereal I think why?"

"Oh, no reason. Do you remember what the last thing you said to him was?" again she shook her head in bemusement.

Mr Chapmen stepped in front of his wife as if Jane's questions were a physical attack. "Unless you have anything useful to add I'm afraid I must ask you to leave."

Agent Lisbon thanked them both for their time and walked with Jane to the car. "I like the husband for this. What do you think?"

"no, his guilt is over something else." Jane waited in vain for a response from Lisbon until they were both sat in the car. "To tell you the truth Lisbon, I don't know what to make of this case, there is something I'm missing but I have no idea what it is."

Hearing this from Jane unnerved Lisbon immensely. It was as if this admission had made Jane more human. Lisbon hadn't realised until now how high the pedestal she held her consultant on was. She turned to look him in the eye but instead all she saw were the soft blonde curls that rested above the nape of his neck.

He sat in awkward silence for the length of the journey which worried Lisbon even more.

The SUV came to a halt outside of a small diner not far from the office. Jane turned to Lisbon to enquire why they had come here; his eyes held a look of desperation Teresa Lisbon had never seen before. She knew better that to tell him the real reason for their visit so she stated that she needed the rest room and the food wouldn't go amiss either.

Jane ordered their food while Lisbon excused herself. A small smile crept on to his lips as he thought about the real reason he had been brought here. Oh how he loved this woman, her inability to lie to him and her motive for trying. And for the first time in days he allowed his mind to wonder about something other than the conundrum he was facing. He thought about how much he would miss her when the time came and the smile faded gain.

Grace had found that Daniel Chapman's phone had been dumped about a mile from his last known location and was following up a hunch she had about the "calling cards" left at the scenes. Each card had been different, the cards for girls had all been aces; Laura's was a heart, Marie was a spade, Kayleigh was the club and Julie was the diamond, and then there was Daniel who had the King of hearts.

Her hunch was vague and turned up out to be nothing but she, like the rest of the team; was running out of ideas.

As she sat looking blankly at her computer she received a file from Rigsby. It was a video that the local cops had received. It showed a bunch of white roses covered in what looked like blood with a girls scared voice singing softly in the background.

"How doth the little crocodile

improve his shining tail,

and pour the waters of the Nile

on every golden scale!"

Then there was silence and the video ended. Grace picked up her cell and called Lisbon.

"boss you should get back here, we've got something."


End file.
